1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a dot recording apparatus, a dot recording method, and a computer program therefor.
2. Related Art
In a known printing apparatus that functions as a dot recording apparatus, a plurality of recording heads that eject inks of different colors with respect to recording materials are moved forwards and backwards. A main scan is performed at the time of a forward movement and a backward movement. In this manner, printing is performed. (for example, JP-A-6-22106). In this printing apparatus, within an area where printing can be performed by one time of a main scan, pixel groups configured by m×n pixels are arranged such that the pixel groups are not adjacent to each other. In addition, a plurality of main scans is performed using a plurality of thinning patterns which are in a mutually complementary arrangement relationship and thereby the recording is completed.
However, in the above-described printing apparatus, each pixel group has a rectangular shape. A boundary between the pixel groups may include a side that is parallel with a main scan direction and a side that is parallel with a sub-scan direction. A long boundary extending in the main scan direction and a long boundary extending in the sub-scan direction are formed by a set of the boundaries of the pixel groups that are adjacent to each other. For this reason, banding (image quality deterioration area) along such long boundaries may easily occur and may stand out.
In addition, there is a problem in the printing apparatus in that the banding of the main scan direction easily stands out. In particular, in the above-described printing apparatus, there is a problem that the banding of the main scan direction occurring at such a boundary is easily stands out since a pixel group which is a target of ink ejection and a pixel group which is not the target of ink ejection are arranged in a form of being tiled with each other. These problems are not limited to the printing apparatus, and commonly occur in a dot recording apparatus that records dots on a recording medium (dot recording medium).